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EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN 

AND  THE  ONLY  CHILD 

IN  THE  FAMILY 


BY 
EUGENE  W.  BOHANNON 


A  Dissertation  submitted  to  the  Faculty  of  Clark  University,  Worcester,  Mass.,  in 
partial  fulfilment  of  the  requirements  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy,  and 
accepted  on  the  recommendation  of 

G.  STANLEY  HALL. 


Reprinted  in  part  from  the  Pedagogical  Seminary,  Vols.  IV.  and  V. 


'  •;;•.:.- 


httD://www.archive.ora/details/exceDtionalchildOOboharich 


EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN 

AND  THE  ONLY  CHILD 

IN  THE  FAMILY 


BY 
EUGENE  W.'bOHANNON 


&%'• 


A  Dissertation  submitted  to  the  Faculty  of  Clark  University,  Worcester,  Mass.,  in 
partial  fulfilment  of  the  requirements  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy,  and 
accepted  on  the  recommendation  of 

G.  STANLEY  HALL. 


Reprinted  in  part  from  the  Pedagogical  Seminary,  18%,  Vol.  4,  and  1898,  Vol.  5. 


DULUTH 
1912 


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V 


EXCHAr 
I 


EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND  THE 
ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY 


BY  EUGENE  W.  BOHANNON 
Sometime  Fellow  in  Psychology,  Clark  University 

Success  in  teaching  depends  largely  on  an  intelligent 
appreciation  of  the  individual  aspect  of  human  life.  The 
truthfulness  of  this  assertion  is  too  obvious  to  require 
justification.  At  the  same  time  educational  practice  has 
not  been  influenced  sufficiently  by  the  knowledge  which  a 
better  understanding  of  individuality  will  supply.  The  fol- 
lowing study  was  undertaken  with  the  desire  of  satisfying 
a  personal  need  and  in  the  hope  that  some  contribution 
might  be  made  to  the  knowledge  of  the  conditions  which 
determine  character.  In  the  last  analysis  the  problem  in- 
volves a  consideration  of  the  relative  influence  of  the  two 
most  general  factors  of  biological  existence,  viz.,  heredity 
and  environment.  It  is  believed  that  some  of  the  conclusions 
presented  throw  additional  light  on  certain  phases  of  the 
relationship  between  these  two  factors. 

The  original  material  used  was  supplied  almost  ex- 
clusively by  a  select  body  of  students  under  competent 
supervision  and  in  response  to  two  questionaires,  one  asking 
ior  information  concerning  Peculiar  and  Exceptional  Chil- 
dren and  the  other  relating  to  the  Only  Child  in  a  Family. 
In  response  to  the  first  a  few  over  a  thousand  reports  were 
received,  and  to  the  second  a  few  less  than  four  hundred. 
The  following  is  the  first  syllabus: 


I.  Think  over  your  own  childhood  and  consider  if  you  were 
a  striking  illustration  of  any  of  the  following  types,  and  if  so, 
describe  your  case: 

II.  Consider  if  you  have  any  friends  who  would  come  into 
any  of  the  classes  below,  and  ask  them  to  describe  their  own  cases. 

III.  If  you  have  children  of  your  own;  or  if  you  are  a 
teacher,  and  any  of  your  pupils,  past  or  present,  are  strikingly 
exceptional,   describe  them. 

IV.  If  you  are  a  college  or  normal  instructor,  explain  very 
fully  what  is  wanted,  and  ask  each  pupil  to  describe  one  or  more 
such  cases  in  a  composition,  essay,  or  a  theme  in  psychology. 

V.  State  the  salient  points  concerning  any  exceptional  children 
you  have  ever  read  about,  whether  fact  or  fiction,  referring  to 
the  source  if  you  can. 

The  following  are  types  suggested  to  select  from,  but  any 
other  will  be  welcome: 

1.  Physical.  Exceptional  beauty  or  ugliness;  largeness  or 
smallness;   any  bodily  deformity;    conspicuous   scars  or  traumatic 


4  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

lesions;  defects  of  sense  or  limb,  as  dimness  of  vision  or  slightly 
under  normal  hearing1,  weakness  of  spine,  legs  or  arms,  etc.; 
exceptional  strength,  agility,  clumsiness  or  deftness,  or  gifts  of 
sense;  any  other  marked  physical  peculiarity. 

2.  Psychical.  A  child  of  exceptional  courage  or  timidity; 
cleanliness  or  dirtiness;  order  or  disorder;  obedience  or  dis- 
obedience, truth-telling  or  lying;  cruelty  or  sympathy;  selfishness 
or  generosity;  loquacity  or  silence;  frankness  or  secretiveness; 
buoyancy  or  despondency;  daintiness  or  gluttony;  a  blas6  or  other- 
wise spoiled  child;  a  doubter,  investigator,  or  critic;  an  ugly  and 
ill-tempered  child;  a  careless,  easy-going  or  a  fastidious  child;  an 
inquisitive,  imaginative  or  poetic  child;  a  teaser  or  hector;  a 
nervous  child;  a  querulent,  whining  child;  a  dignified  and  self- 
poised  child,  or  one  who  acts  habitually  with  self-abandon. 

It  is  not  a  description  of  one  or  more  of  the  above  traits  that 
is  wanted,  but  an  accunt  of  one  or  more  individual  cases  where 
one  trait  or  group  of  traits  is  so  marked  as  to  color  the  entire 
character  of  the  child,  to  be  known  to  all  who  see  much  of  it,  to 
therefore,  bear  on  the  child's  future  career. 

Note  in  each  case,  if  you  can,  whether  the  trait  is  hereditary; 
in  which  parent,  how  far  back  it  can  be  traced,  and  how  marked 
it  was  in  the  ancestry.  To  this  point  the  greatest  importance  is 
attached,  and  it  should  receive  special  attention. 

Give,  briefly,  specific  acts  or  instances  of  the  manifestation 
of  this  trait. 

State  how  each  case  has  been  treated  at  home  and  in  school, 
and  how  you  think  it  should  be  treated. 

Always  describe  each  case  with  the  greatest  conciseness  and 
with  the  greatest  fidelity  to  fact. 

Always  state  age,  sex,  nationality,  complexion  and 
temperament. 


The  number  of  individuals  described  was  1,045,  of  whom 
613  were  females  and  432  males.  The  number  of  types 
represented  in  the  reports  was  43,  and  the  average  age  of 
the  individuals  referred  to,  below  that  of  early  manhood 
or  womanhood.  The  forty-three  types  were  finally  arranged 
in  three  groups,  the  first  including  the  individuals  whose 
peculiarities  should  be  regarded  as  advantageous;  the 
second  those  whose  peculiarities  should  be  regarded  as 
disadvantageous;  the  third  those  whose  peculiarities  should 
be  regarded  as  neutral. 

Those  belonging  to  the  group  having  peculiarities  re- 
garded as  advantageous  were  the  tall,  heavy,  strong,  stout, 
aerile,  deft,  beautiful,  clean,  generous,  sympathetic,  buoyant, 
courageous,  orderly,  obedient  and  those  having  keen  senses. 
Those  whose  peculiarities  have  been  regarded  as  dis- 
advantageous were  the  small,  deformed,  ugly,  nervous, 
clumsy,  bodily-weak,  dirty,  ill-tempered,  timid,  whining, 
disorderly,  disobedient,  cruel,  selfish,  gluttonous,  spoiled,  and 
those  with  sense,  mental  or  speech  defects.  The  peculiar- 
ities regarded  as  neutral  in  value  were  those  characteristic 
of  the  buffoon,  the  frank,  loquacious,  inquisitive,  dignified, 
silent,  imaginative  and  dainty. 


THE  ONLY  CHILD   IN  THE   FAMILY 


In  the  study  of  the  different  types  within  any  of  the 
three  groups  it  was  found  desirable  to  consider  smaller 
groups  in  order  to  show  similarity  and  contrast.  Thus  the 
large,  including  the  tall,  heavy  and  stout,  were  very  gen- 
erally found  to  associate  with,  and  to  be  dressed  like,  older 
children  in  order  to  escape  undue  attention.  The  behavior 
of  others  toward  them  was  determined  more  by  the  con- 
sideration of  stature  than  of  age.  This  attitude  of  others 
and  the  association  with  older  children  resulted  in  pre- 
mature development,  at  least  in  certain  respects.  On  the 
other  hand  the  small,  for  a  similar  reason,  associated  with 
younger  children  and  were  very  generally  dressed  so  as 
to  appear  younger  than  they  really  were,  while  the  attitude 
of  others  toward  them  was  determined  more  by  their  stature 
and  less  by  age  than  should  have  been  the  case.  The 
inevitable  result  was  retarded  development,  at  least  retarded 
mental  and  social  development.  Too  much  was  expected 
or  required  of  the  large  and  too  little  of  the  small. 

The  strong  were  generally  leaders  and  enjoyed  a 
liberal  measure  of  approval  while  the  weak  were  often 
timid  and  disposed  to  behave  in  a  manner  intended  to  protect 
them  against  the  attention  resulting  from  the  peculiarity. 
The  agile  and  the  deft,  like  the  strong,  received  more  than 
the  usual  degree  of  favorable  regard  though  they  were  not 
so  often  leaders.  The  clumsy  reacted  to  the  attention 
bestowed  upon  them  in  much  the  same  manner  as  the  weak. 
The  beautiful  were  noticed  to  a  marked  degree  and  supplied 
the  best  example  of  the  injurious  effects  of  an  excess  of 
approbative  attention.  The  ugly  and  the  deformed  also 
were  noticed  unduly  and  the  consequences  were  unfavor- 
able, but  for  a  different  reason.  The  undue  attention  ac- 
corded the  beautiful  most  often  resulted  in  exaggerated  and 
unwarranted  self  esteem ;  that  given  the  ugly  and  deformed 
quite  as  often  resulted  in  discouragement  and  self- 
depreciation. 

Special  ability  in  the  realm  of  the  senses  or  unusual 
mental  capacity  was  generally  conducive  to  approbation 
which  had  the  effect  of  developing  conceit  and  priggish 
self-importance.  Some  of  the  reports  of  such  individuals 
were  suggestive  of  an  approximation  to  an  abnormal,  if 
not  a  pathological,  condition.  The  lack  of  ordinary  ability 
in  these  respects,  or  the  presence  of  some  defect  in  speech, 
sometimes  had  the  effect  of  causing  the  individual  to  shun 
society.  Such  cases  show  the  need  for  special  treatment 
and  instruction,  of  a  kind  which  the  ordinary  public  school 
is  not  able  to  supply. 


EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 


The  nervous  child,  so-called,  very  often  had  delicate 
health  and  an  unstable  constitution,  not  infrequently  supply- 
ing an  example  of  mal  nutrition.  They  were  not  unlikely 
to  be  timid,  sensitive,  changeable,  meddlesome  and,  occasion- 
ally, untruthful.  These  characteristics  were  undoubtedly 
due,  in  part,  to  a  lack  of  self-control.  The  clean  and  the 
dainty  were  very  much  alike  and  had  many  traits  in  common 
with  the  orderly  and  obedient.  They  were  characterized 
as  orderly,  obedient,  truthful,  slow,  fussy  and  critical. 
They  were  not  seldom  delicate,  quiet  and  dignified  and  lack- 
ing in  bodily  vigor.  The  silent  and  the  dignified  were  quite 
similar,  the  one  to  the  other  and  to  the  clean  and  the  dainty. 
They  were  described  as  clean,  neat,  orderly,  obedient,  timid 
and  particular.  Timidity  and  silence  were  often  mistaken 
for  dignity.  The  children  of  this  type  showed  a  marked 
preference  for  companionship  with  older  persons.  The 
orderly  and  the  obedient  had  much  in  common  with  the 
clean  and  the  dainty,  as  has  been  indicated.  Those  who 
were  orderly  were  clean,  slow,  patient,  punctual,  truthful; 
the  obedient  were  characterized  in  like  manner  and,  not 
infrequently,  as  timid.  The  dirty,  the  disorderly  and  the 
disobedient  are  kindred  types.  Individuals  of  each  were 
reported  as  destructive  or  boisterous  or  violent  in  temper 
and  not  lacking  in  vigor  and  energy.  The  ill-tempered  were 
often  peevish,  discontented,  nervous,  delicate,  lacking  in 
balance,  self-control  and  stability. 

The  frank,  the  loquacious  and  the  inquisitive  were  found 
to  have  many  characteristics  in  common.  Members  of  each 
group  exhibited  a  certain  lack  of  self-control  and  of  the 
power  of  inhibition.  The  loquacious  were  frequently  nerv- 
ous, restless,  conceited,  forward  and  spoiled,  while  the  in- 
quisitive were  often  merely  restless  and  curious. 

The  courageous  were  generally  strong  and  healthy. 
They  were  often  quiet  and  reserved  as  well  as  obedient 
and  generous.  They  were  admired  and  often  became  leaders. 
Th)  timid,  on  the  other  hand,  were  frequently  frail  and 
nervous.  In  some  cases  the  peculiarity  appeared  to  have 
been  the  result,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  of  some  har- 
rowing experience  or  of  having  heard  ghost  stories. 
Obviously  there  was  a  physical  basis  in  many  instances  for 
the  peculiarity. 

Both  the  buoyant  and  teasing  possessed  abundant 
energy.  The  first  were  more  inclined  to  be  generous  and 
sympathetic ;  the  second  were  sometimes  cruel.  The  buffoons 
were  exuberant,  easy-going  and  often  generous.  They 
usually  received  and  enjoyed  favorable  notice. 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  7 

Most  of  the  cases  of  cruelty  seemed  to  have  their  origin 
in  the  exercise  of  power  over  weaker  living  things.  It  was 
most  frequently  manifested  towards  small  children,  the 
smaller  and  young  animals  and  insects.  In  some  instances 
it  appeared  to  be  a  consequence  of  having  witnessed  the 
slaughter  of  animals;  in  others  it  was  thought  to  be  the 
result  of  cruel  physical  punishment  in  the  homes.  It  was 
often  associated  with  the  habit  of  teasing  and  the  two  traits 
appear  to  be  closely  allied.  Selfishness  also  was  often  a 
prominent  characteristic  of  the  cruel  though  it  appeared  to 
be  quite  as  much  a  resulting  as  a  causal  influence.  The 
cruel  were  often  the  gluttonous,  the  over-indulged,  the 
spoiled  and  sometimes  the  untruthful.  They  were  especially 
numerous  in  the  group  of  the  forty-six  only  children  to  be 
referred  to  later.  The  individuals  who  were  described  as 
generous  were  nearly  always  sympathetic  and  there  is  some 
suggestion  of  a  connection  between  these  two  qualities  and 
delicacy  of  constitution.  Both  the  generous  and  sympathetic 
were  general  favorites  and  were  also  frequently  subjected 
to  impositions  of  various  sorts. 

Imaginativeness  was  mentioned  in  many  of  the  reports 
relating  to  the  only  child  in  a  family  and  was  frequently 
ascribed  to  a  lack  of  companionship,  which  resulted  in  the 
creation  of  imaginary  companionship.  Some  of  the  in- 
dividuals seemed  to  indulge  in  the  practice  because  of  a 
desire  to  expand  the  personality.  There  was  some  evidence 
that  the  exercise  of  this  power  or  interest  is  not  unlikely 
to  result  in  the  practice  of  deception  and  lying.  Lying 
was  undoubtedly  closely  akin  to  it  in  many  instances,  at 
least  in  certain  of  its  forms.  However,  it  was  associated,  in 
many  cases,  with  other  qualities,  such  as  selfishness,  timidity, 
weakness  and  imitativeness. 

In  the  general  consideration  of  the  various  types  it 
was  found  that  over  60  per  cent  of  the  individuals  in  the 
group  designated  as  advantageous  were  reported  as  in- 
heriting the  peculiarity,  about  10  per  cent  as  not  inheriting 
and  24  per  cent  were  not  accounted  for  in  that  respect. 
Of  those  classified  as  having  disadvantageous  peculiarities, 
28  per  cent  were  reported  as  inheriting,  45  per  cent  as  not 
inheriting  and  33  per  cent  were  not  accounted  for.  Of  the 
neutral,  57  per  cent  were  said  to  inherit  and  17  per  cent 
not  to  inherit  the  peculiarity,  while  39  per  cent  were  not 
accounted  for. 

A  comparison  of  the  percentages  for  these  three  groups 
shows  that  inheritance  appeared  to  be  most  influential  in 
determining  advantageous  peculiarities,  somewhat  less  so 


8  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

in  determining  those  of  the  group  called  neutral  and  least 
in  the  case  of  the  disadvantageous.  The  necessity  for  great 
caution  in  basing  conclusions  with  reference  to  heredity,  on 
these  reports,  is  obvious.  Yet,  after  making  liberal  allow- 
ance for  possible  prejudice,  lack  of  knowledge  or  careless- 
ness on  the  part  of  those  making  the  reports,  the  evidence 
warrants  the  inference  that  the  characteristics  referred  to 
as  advantageous  are  far  more  likely  to  be  transmitted,  in 
their  likeness,  than  are  those  of  the  opposite  kind.  This 
conclusion  harmonizes  with  the  views  of  most  of  the  best 
students  of  human  degeneration.  The  influence  of  heredity 
is  positive  and  in  line  with  progressive  evolution.  The 
hereditary  factor  is  most  prominent  in  those  cases  of  trans- 
mission which  exhibit  the  greatest  resemblance  between 
parent  and  offspring.  A  strong  inheritance,  the  presence 
of  advantageous  qualities  in  the  parents,  is  the  best 
guarantee  of  likeness  in  the  offspring.  In  transmission, 
advantageous  characteristics  are  more  potent  than  the  dis- 
advantageous. 

Fere1  says :  "If  the  degenerate  fails  to  give  origin  to 
beings  that  resemble  him,  it  is  not  because  he  has  acquired 
the  special  faculty  of  transmitting  characteristics  that  do 
not  belong  to  him,  but  because  degeneration  is  the  dissolu- 
tion of  heredity.  *  *  *  The  want  of  resemblance  in 
descent  observed  in  pathological  and  teratological  families 
evidences  the  want  of  embryo  genie  energy  which  is  so 
accentuated  in  those  families  as  to  end  in  sterility  in  a  few 
generations.  *  *  *  By  degeneration  Should  be  under- 
stood the  loss  of  the  hereditary  qualities  that  have  determ- 
ined and  fixed  the  characteristics  of  the  race.,, 

Disease  and  defect  usually  undergo  modification  in 
transmission,  following  what  has  been  called  the  law  of 
dissimilarity,  while  health  and  healthy  peculiarities  are  not 
subject  to  such  marked  variation  and  follow  the  law  of 
similarity  in  transmission.  The  movement  of  degeneration 
is  regressive;  that  of  heredity,  in  normal  individuals,  is 
progressive.  Degeneration  is  the  reversal  of  heredity  and 
ordinarily  its  extent  is  indicated  by  the  degree  of  variation 
from  the  ancestral  type.  Fay2  found  in  his  study  of  the 
marriage  of  the  deaf  in  America  a  higher  percentage  of 
deaf  offspring  for  the  unions  in  which  one  parent  was  deaf 
than  in  those  for  which  both  were  so.  He  found  also  that 
sterility  was  more   common  in  the   marriages  with  both 

i  Morbid  Heredity,  Popular  Science  Monthly,  July,  1895,  p.  396. 
2  Marriage   of  the  Deaf  in  America,  American  Annals  of  the 
Deaf,  Jan.,  Feb.,  April,   June,   1896. 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  9 

parents  deaf  and  that  it  was  most  prevalent  when  both 
were  congenitally  deaf.  Williams,1  in  his  study  of  590 
marriages,  with  one  or  both  partners  deaf,  found  that  280 
of  these  were  barren  of  children;  that  5Ko  per  cent  of 
the  children  born  to  the  congenitally  deaf  fathers  and  ad- 
ventitiously deaf  mothers,  137/io  per  cent  of  those  born 
to  congenitally  deaf  mothers  and  adventitiously  deaf  fathers, 
12%o  per  cent  of  those  to  congenitally  deaf  fathers  and 
hearing  mothers,  and  181%oo  per  cent  of  those  born  to 
congenitally  deaf  mothers  and  hearing  fathers,  were  deaf. 
These  figures  not  only  confirm  the  view  that  degenerative 
influences  weaken  the  power  of  heredity,  but  they  also 
appear  to  confirm  the  view  that  the  mother  is  the  more 
influential  factor  in  transmission,  a  conclusion  suggested  by 
the  analysis  of  the  reports  on  which  the  present  study  is 
based. 

Sedgwick2  says:  "The  fact  that  a  larger  number  of 
deaf  children  are,  or  appear  to  be,  born  to  parents  only 
one  of  which  is  deaf  than  when  both  are,  may  be  due  to 
excess  having  reversed  the  action  of  natural  law  in  develop- 
ment. ' ' 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  still-births  and  early  deaths 
are  abnormally  common  in  such  families,  and  it  seems  im- 
possible to  escape  the  conclusion  that  as  degeneration  pro- 
gresses the  potency  of  the  factor  of  heredity  is  diminished, 
and  that,  to  that  degree,  the  triumph  of  environment  is 
assured.  It  is  not  without  significance,  in  this  connection, 
that  the  defects  most  likely  to  be  transmitted  in  their  like- 
ness are  those  which  are  not  incompatible  with  fairly  or 
quite  normal  health,  such  as  supernumerary  toes,  fingers, 
teeth,  the  plurality  of  births,  color-blindness,  hair-lip,  squint, 
premature  baldness  or  prematurely  gray  hair.  If  these  are 
signs  of  the  existence  of  degenerative  tendencies,  they  are 
but  mildly  so  and  do  not  indicate  a  condition  sufficiently 
grave  to  interfere  seriously  with  the  production  of  like  by 
like. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  results  of  the  examination 
of  the  reports  on  peculiar  and  exceptional  children  was  the 
discovery  of  the  relatively  large  number  of  only  children 
among  them.  It  was  definitely  stated  in  46  cases  that  the 
individual  described  was  an  only  child,  though  none  of  the 
questions  in  the  syllabus  referred  to  such  a  type.     Since 

1  Hereditary  Deafness:  A  Study,  Science,  Vol.  XVII,  p.  76. 

2  On  Sexual  Limitation  in  Hereditary  Disease,  British  and 
Foreign  Medico-Chirurgical  Review,  London,  Vol.  XXVIII,  p.  204. 


10  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

the  number  of  reports  was  1,045  and  46  of  these  referred 
to  only  children  one  of  every  22  was  an  only  child. 

AnsellV  statistics  for  families  in  England  and  Wales 
show  that  one  in  78  of  children  generally  is  an  only  child, 
and  that  one  family  in  13  is  a  one-child  family.  Perhaps 
the  percentage  of  such  children  and  such  families  in  more 
recent  years  is  quite  a  little  higher  but,  that  granted,  it 
is  quite  apparent  that  the  degree  of  liability  to  peculiarity, 
on  the  part  of  the  only  child,  is  out  of  all  proportion  to 
the  relative  number  of  such  children  among  all  children. 
Furthermore,  it  was  found  that  two-thirds  of  the  46  only 
children  belonged  to  the  types  embraced  in  the  group  having 
disadvantageous  traits  and  that  the  health  conditions  of 
the  parents  of  these  46  were  below  normal.  These  facts 
and  suggestions,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  reports  on 
peculiar  and  exceptional  children  furnished  more  material 
relating  to  heredity,  made  it  seem  desirable  to  secure  more 
comprehensive  information  concerning  the  only-child  class 
which  would  at  the  same  time  bear  more  directly  on  the 
determining  influence  of  environment.  With  that  thought 
in  mind  the  following  list  of  questions  was  sent  out,  under 
conditions  similar  to  those  mentioned  in  connection  with 
the  questionaire  on  peculiar  and  exceptional  children: 

Give  age,  sex,  nationality,  and  describe  the  temperament,  com- 
plexion and  general  health  of  the  child  briefly.  Has  he  brothers 
and  sisters  dead?  If  so,  how  many?  Is  he  the  first  born?  How 
long  did  the  others  live?  Does  the  child  go  to  school?  Regularly? 
Commenced  at  what  age?  Get  along  well  with  other  children  and 
in  work?  How  much  time  does  he  spend  in  play?  The  favorite 
games?  What  plays  at  home?  What  are  the  child's  best  traits? 
Worst  traits?  Is  he  precocious  or  dull?  Has  he  mental  or 
physical  defects?  Name  them.  What  subjects  best  in?  What 
poorest  in?  What  has  been  the  home  and  school  treatment? 
What  treatment  do  you  recommend? 

Age  of  parents  at  birth?  How  long  had  they  been  married 
at  birth  of  child?  Are  the  parents  still  living?  Health,  habits, 
occupations,  temperament  and  position  in  life.  How  many  brothers 
and  sisters  had  they?  Do  they  (brothers  and  sisters)  have  good 
health?  In  so  far  as  above  questions  apply,  describe  twins,  the 
only  boy,  the  only  girl  and  the  youngest  child,  in  families.  State 
anything  else  you  may  think  due  to  the  fact  that  they  are  the 
only  child,  only  boy,   only  girl,  the  youngest  child  or  twins. 

The  number  of  reports  received  in  response  to  the  ques- 
tions was  435.  This  number  combined  with  the  46  on  only 
children  previously  referred  to,  gives  a  total  of  481  reports. 
Of  these  383  refer  to  only  children,  54  to  only  boys  or  only 
girls,  32  to  the  youngest  child  in  a  family  and  12  to  twins. 

1  See  Duncan's  Sterility  in  Women,  p.  4. 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  1 1 

The  persons  making  the  reports  regarded  as  only  children 
not  onty  those  who  had  never  had  brothers  or  sisters,  but 
those  also  who  had  been  left  alone  by  the  early  death  of 
others,  or  who  were  the  only  children  for  a  period  of 
years,  before  the  birth  of  others.  In  the  case  of  the  latter 
the  environment  was  quite  like  that  of  the  only  child,  for 
the  dead  brothers  and  sisters  seldom  lived  more  than  a 
year,  nearly  always  dying  in  early  infancy.  Furthermore, 
the  surviving  child  was  not  the  first  born  in  more  than  half 
of  the  instances.  Several  of  the  one-child  families  were  so 
because  of  divorce  or  the  death  of  one  parent.  Any 
statistical  references  that  follow  relate  to  only  children 
alone,  unless  otherwise  indicated. 

The  average  age  of  134  girls  was  almost  13 ;  of  86  boys, 
somewhat  less  than  12,  and  for  both  the  average  was  12^ 
years.  The  youngest  was  2  and  the  oldest  35.  Five  were 
3  years  old,  6  were  4,  4  were  5,  10  were  6,  15  were  7,  24 
were  8,  22  were  9,  32  were  10,  19  were  11,  26  were  12,  17 
were  13,  21  were  14,  8  were  15,  24  were  16,  15  were  17, 
15  were  18,  7  were  19,  7  were  20,  2  were  21,  3  were  22,  and 
1  was  31.  The  relative  number  of  males  and  females  was 
about  as  4  of  the  former  to  5  of  the  latter.  The  reports 
supplied  information  relating  to  the  nationality  or  race  of 
the  parents  in  240  instances.  It  was  stated  in  190  cases 
that  the  parents  were  Americans.  The  parents  in  the  other 
50  were  non-American  and  in  17  instances  the  father  and 
mother  belonged  to  different  races  or  nationalities. 

The  more  important  and  distinguishing  peculiarities  of 
these  children,  including  those  relating  to  health,  school, 
home  and  social  life  generally,  the  interests  and  activities 
revealed  in  play  and  games,  together  with  the  mental  and 
moral  peculiarities,  can  be  understood  and  appreciated  much 
better  after  a  perusal  of  some  of  the  reports  of  individual 
cases.  A  number  of  the  most  typical  have  been  condensed 
and  are  presented  herewith.  In  making  the  condensations 
the  original  draft  was  modified  as  little  as  possible  though 
quotation  marks  were  not  used  except  in  one  or  two 
instances. 

Male.  Twelve  years  old.  Irish.  Sanguine.  Health  fairly 
good,  but  must  take  care  not  to  drink  tea,  coffee  or  other  stim- 
ulants. Neither  can  he  eat  much  vegetable  food  without  feeling 
great  discomfort.  He  is  the  first-born,  but  had  a  brother  who 
lived  to  be  three  and  one-third  years  old.  Began  school  at  six 
and  attended  regularly.  He  gets  along  with  some  of  his  friends 
quite  well  but  with  others  he  disagrees.  Spends  much  time  in 
play,  which  is  active  at  school  but  quiet  at  home.  He  is  truthful 
and  dislikes  sham;  also  stubborn,  and  given  to  contradiction  of 
his  elders.     He  is  precocious.     The  right  leg  is  paralized  from  the 


J  2  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

hip  down.  Both  at  home  and  at  school  he  has  been  allowed  too 
much  of  his  own  way.  The  mother  was  about  twenty-five,  and  the 
father  thirty-three,  at  the  time  of  his  birth.  They  had  been 
married  two  years,  and  are  still  living.  The  mother  has  good 
health,  the  father  only  fair.  Both  have  good  habits  and  are 
conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  duty.  The  father  is  a  railroad 
station  agent  and  the  mother  helps  him  in  this  work.  He  is  of  a 
bilious  temperament,  while  she  is  sanguine.  The  mother  has 
four  sisters  and  two  brothers,  the  father  two  brothers  and  two 
sisters.     All   seem   to   have   good   health. 

Male.  Ten  years  old.  German- American  parentage.  "The 
father  is  a  German  of  culture  from  a  well  known  German  Univer- 
sity. The  mother  has.  one  brother  living  and  one,  who  was  very 
delicate,  dead.  She  is  herself  a  chronic  invalid  and  never,  as  a 
girl,  took  any  interest  in  life.  She  is  cultured  and  refined  but 
lacks  the  will  to  do.  Her  only  object  now  seems  to  be  to  properly 
rear  her  boy,  who  was  an  unwelcome  addition  to  the  family  and 
for  years  was  tolerated  out  of  necessity.  The  mother-love  seems 
to  have  asserted  itself  finally.  The  boy  attended  kindergarten  at 
five,  had  a  private  tutor  at  six  and  entered  the  public  school  at 
seven.  He  speaks  German  and  French  as  well  as  English,  and 
also  plays  the  piano  well.  Is  a  real  girl-boy,  sews,  makes  tiny 
doll  dresses,  cuts  and  fits  them,  sews  on  sleeves  and  puts  on  belts. 
He  has  whole  sets  of  bed  clothes,  pillows  and  mattresses  stuffed 
with  cotton,  and  the  pillow  cases  made  on  the  machine.  He  is  a 
sturdy,  manly  fellow,  always  taking  his  hat  off  as  he  enters  the 
room,  speaking  in  a  soft  voice,  and  taking  part  in  conversation. 
He  begged  to  be  allowed  to  stay  at  home  this  week  to  help  sew, 
because  I  was  helping  his  mother  with  her  sewing.  He  does  not 
like  school  and  seldom  plays  with  boys;  he  says  they  are  too  rough 
and  fight,  and  are  not  nearly  so  nice  to  play  with  as  girls.  He 
says  boys  tease  him  because  he  likes  girls  better,  but  that  he  does 
not  care.  He  seldom  quarrels  with  his  playmates  and  is  good 
and  obedient  generally.  He  is  usually  happy  but  sometimes  be- 
comes annoying  by  reason  of  the  numerous  questions  he  asks.  He 
has  rather  definite  and  advanced  notions  of  what  he  is  to  be  when 
he  grows  up.  The  mother  seems  to  admire  and  honor  her  very 
intellectual  German  husband  and  is  a  model  wife,  but  she  does 
not  seem  to  have  any  love  for  any  one  save  the  boy.  She  was 
never  happy  with  her  own  mother  and  feels  she  was  never  under- 
stood by  her,  hence  she  thinks  it  very  important  for  her  to  avoid 
the  mistakes  from  which  she  suffered.  The  mother  feels  her 
duty  very  strongly  and  is  in  danger  of  overdoing  the  watching, 
and  of  making  him  too  dependent  on  her  own  frail  self.  He  is 
very  different  from  other  boys  I  have  met." 

Female.  Eleven  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  Delicate, 
takes  cold  easily,  and  cannot  stand  much  hardship.  She  is  the 
only  child  born  to  her  parents.  She  began  school  at  seven  and 
attends  regularly  except  when  ill.  She  does  not  get  along  well 
with  other  children,  but  succeeds  fairly  well  in  work.  Not  much 
time  spent  in  play,  which  is  always  of  a  quiet  sort.  Her  best 
traits  are  obedience  and  politeness;  her  worst  is  thinking  herself 
better  than  other  children.  She  is  neither  dull  nor  precocious,  yet 
quite  studious.  The  mother,  especially,  is  very  strict,  but  her 
teachers  have  usually  been  more  considerate.  The  mother  was 
thirty-five,  and  the  father  thirty-seven,  at  her  birth.  They  had 
been  married  five  years,  and  are  still  living.  The  father  has  good 
health,  but  the  mother  has  always  been  delicate,  and  since  the 
birth  of  the  child  has  been  an  invalid  the  greater  part  of  the 
time.  The  father  is  superintendent  of  a  railroad.  The  family 
occupies  a  good  social  position.  Both  parents  are  nervous.  The 
father  has  one  half-sister,  the  mother,  two  brothers  and  two 
sisters. 


THE  ONLY  CHILD   IN  THE  FAMILY  13 

Female.  Twelve  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  She  has 
very  poor  health  and  is  sick  a  gTeat  deal.  She  has  three  sisters  and 
one  brother  who  died  before  her  birth.  Only  one  of  these  lived  to 
be  five  years  old.  She  commenced  school  at  seven,  and  but  for 
bad  health  her  attendance  would  be  regular.  She  has  little  or 
no  trouble  with  other  children,  and  succeeds  well  in  her  work, 
as  she  is  very  studious.  She  plays  little  and  in  a  quiet  way.  Her 
best  traits  are  truthfulness,  obedience  and  affection;  the  worst  is 
bashfulness.  Precocity  is  very  noticeable.  The  home  treatment 
has  been  characterized  by  great  indulgence.  The  father  has  always 
called  her  "Baby."  At  the  birth  of  the  child  the  ages  of  the 
father  and  mother  were  thirty-six  and  thirty-four  respectively. 
They  had  been  married  14  years.  Their  health  is  very  good  as 
are  also  their  habits.  The  father  is  a  dairyman.  The  mother, 
with  hired  help,  keeps  the  house.  They  both  have  irritable 
temperaments.  The  mother  has  four  sisters  and  two  brothers;  the 
father,  five  sisters  and  two  brothers.  Two  of  the  mother's  sisters 
have  bad  health,  and  the  father's  brothers  and  one  of  his  sisters 
do  not  have  good  health. 

Female.  Nine  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  Not  robust, 
takes  cold  easily,  and  seems  unable  to  resist  disease.  Has  never 
had  brothers  or  sisters.  She  began  school  at  7  but  has  not  at- 
tended regularly  on  account  of  bad  health.  Her  relations  with 
other  children  are  troublesome.  Success  in  work  is  fair.  She 
plays  a  great  deal  and  has  much  company.  The  games  are  usually 
those  demanding  considerable  activity.  The  best  traits  are  truth- 
fulness and  affection;  the  worst  are  selfishness  and  passionate 
temper.  She  is  very  precocious.  Has  been  greatly  indulged  at 
home,  and  is  a  favorite  with  the  teacher.  She  ought  to  be  required 
to  "give  up"  to  other  children.  At  the  birth  of  this  child  the 
father  was  twenty-seven  and  the  mother  twenty-eight.  They  had 
been  married  two  years.  Both  are  still  living,  but  the  mother  is 
never  in  good  health.  Their  habits  are  good;  the  father  is  a 
partner  in  a  general  merchandise  store.  His  temperament  is 
sanguine,  and  that  of  the  mother,  nervous.  The  mother  has  one 
sister,  and  the  father  one  brother.  These  have  good  health.  The 
child  is  an  only  grandchild,  and  is  subjected  to  the  combined  in- 
dulgence of  grandparents,  uncles,  aunts,  etc.  One  of  the  grand- 
mothers lives  with  the  child's  parents,  and  always  intercedes  when 
any  strictness  is  suggested. 

Female.  Eight  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  Health  is 
quite  poor.  She  is  subject  to  severe  headaches,  and  in  the  winter 
time  to  bronchitis  and  croup.  There  have  been  no  other  children. 
She  first  went  to  school  when  seven  and  has  not  attended  at  all 
regularly.  The  desire  to  have  her  own  way  has  prevented  her 
from  getting  along  well  with  other  children.  In  her  work  she 
succeeds  fairly  well.  When  alone  she  plays  little  and  generally 
inclines  to  the  imaginative  games.  She  tries  to  impersonate  dif- 
ferent characters.  She  is  sympathetic  and  affectionate,  but  also 
selfish  and  disrespectful.  She  is  also  precocious.  Parents  have 
humored  her.  Ought  to  be  thrown  with  girls  her  own  age.  The 
father  was  thirty-three,  and  the  mother  thirty-five,  when  she  was 
born.  They  had  been  married  twelve  years.  They  are  still  living, 
but  the  father  is  subject  to  very  severe  attacks  of  rheumatism.  The 
temperament  of  the  mother  is  nervous;  that  of  the  father  bilious. 
They  live  on  a  farm.  The  mother  has  two  brothers  and  two 
sisters;  the  father  one  sister  and  seven  brothers,  all  of  whom  have 
fairly   good   health. 

Female.  Nineteen  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  General 
health  is  good,  but  she  is  subject  to  a  kind  of  "fits."  There  have 
been  no  other  children.  School  attendance  is  regular  and  began 
at  nine.  Her  success  in  work  was  good.  She  got  along  well  with 
other  children,  and  in  play  her  favorite  pastime  was  to  seat  her- 
self on  a  box  and  imagine  herself  a  queen.  At  home  she  could 
usually  be  found  sewing  for  her  dolls  or  playing  with  them.     Her 


14  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

best  trait  was  her  good  temper;  her  worst,  lying  and  stealing. 
Precocity  was  marked  in  action  and  words.  There  was  a  slight 
turn  in  the  left  eye  which  was  very  noticeable  at  times.  At  home 
she  had  her  own  way  and  was  consequently  frequently  in  need 
of  restraint  at  school.  The  mother's  age  at  her  birth  was  twenty. 
She  had  been  married  over  a  year.  The  father  is  dead — died  of 
heart  disease.  He  had  one  brother,  while  the  mother  had  two 
sisters.     They  seem  to  have  good  health. 

Male.  Fifteen  years  old.  American.  Phlegmatic.  Seems  to 
have  good  health,  yet  the  sight  of  blood  always  causes  him  to 
faint.  There  were  never  any  other  children  in  the  family.  He 
commenced  going  to  school  at  nine  and  attended  regularly,  though 
he  does  not  now  attend.  He  had  little  trouble  with  other  children. 
He  seems  to  be  affected  mentally  and  does  not  progress  very  well 
in  school  work.  He  is  exceptionally  dull.  He  spends  considerable 
time  in  play,  and  at  home  the  play  most  often  is  imitative  of  the 
various  trades.  The  treatment,  both  at  home  and  at  school,  seems 
to  have  been  considerate.  His  father  was  twenty-four,  and  his 
mother  twenty-one  at  the  time  of  his  birth.  They  had  been  mar- 
ried about  one  year.  They  are  both  still  living  but  are  separated. 
The  father  is  delicate  and  a  drunkard  besides.  Neither  parent  has 
had  brothers  or  sisters. 


The  above  are  fairly  representative  of  almost  100  re- 
ports. The  health  was  generally  described  by  use  of  the 
three  expressions,  "good,''  "fairly  good"  and  "bad."  One 
hundred  sixty-two  belonged  to  the  first  class,  98  to  the 
second  and  96  to  the  last.  That  is,  96  had  bad  health  and 
98  others  did  not  have  good  health.  The  disorders  of 
health  most  often  mentioned  were:  lung  trouble  in  ten 
instances,  heart  trouble  in  five,  St.  Vitus  Dance  in  five, 
exaggerated  cases  of  nervousness  in  ten,  "very  delicate" 
in  thirty  and  paralysis  in  one,  while  chronic  susceptibility 
to  headaches,  throat  troubles,  nose  bleed,  colds,  indigestion, 
catarrh,  eye  troubles  and  convulsions,  were  frequently 
mentioned. 

Still  other  evidences  of  impaired  health  were  added 
under  the  head  of  "physical  defects."  Ten  were  deformed. 
Some  of  the  deformities  were :  club-foot,  weak  legs,  hunch 
'back,  spinal  curvature  and  cross  eyes.  Fifteen  had  very 
weak  eyes,  four  were  deaf  in  one  or  both  ears,  three  blind 
in  one  eye,  five  had  grave  disorders  of  the  vocal  organs, 
one  was  hydrocephalus,  and  one  a  paralytic.  Others  were 
"hair-lipped,"  "flat-footed,"  "pigeon-toed,"  "had  one  side 
undeveloped."  A  total  of  forty-eight  had  physical  defects 
of  one  kind  or  another. 

A  great  variety  of  terms  was  used  in  describing  the 
temperament,  but  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  it  was  de- 
scribed as  "nervous"  in  133  out  of  258  cases,  or  something 
oyer  half  of  the  number  for  whom  the  temperament  is  in- 
dicated. No  other  expression  descriptive  of  temperament 
was  used  more  than  42  times. 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  15 

In  80  of  249  families,  for  which  the  information  was 
available,  there  had  been  at  least  120  other  children,  the 
largest  number  in  any  one  case  being  five,  all  of  whom  were 
still-born.  In  42  of  these  eighty  families  the  surviving 
child  was  not  the  first-born.  Of  the  entire  120,  9  were  still- 
born, 20  lived  only  a  few  hours  or  days,  46  others  less  than 
a  year,  6  not  more  than  a  year,  3  not  more  than  2  years, 
3  less  than  4  years,  2  less  than  5  years,  2  less  than  6  years, 
6  less  than  7  years,  2  less  than  9,  and  three  died  at  ten, 
twelve  and  fifteen  years.  It  will  hardly  be  claimed  that 
so  large  a  proportion  of  the  children  of  families  in  general 
die  at  corresponding  ages,  and  that  the  early  deaths  of  so 
many  do  not  signify  degenerative  tendencies  of  a  very 
pronounced  sort.  Besides  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
120  deaths  represented  only  such  as  were  known  to  the 
individuals  making  the  reports.  That  there  were  others 
cannot  be  doubted.  Yet,  with  this  num'ber,  the  proportion 
of  all  the  children  born  to  the  249  families,  who  died  at 
the  above  mentioned  ages,  is  31  per  cent,  or  ahout  320  per 
1,000  for  the  years  1  to  9  inclusive.  Nevertheless,  in  the 
absence  of  other  evidence,  it  cannot  be  asserted  that  the 
rate  is  greater  than  the  normal. 

Thirty-two  of  the  242  fathers  were  dead,  as  were  also 
23  of  the  248  mothers.  The  father's  health  was  said  to  be 
bad  in  58  of  245  reports,  and  that  of  the  mother  so  in 
100  out  of  239.  It  appears,  therefore,  that  in  so  far  as  bad 
health  in  either  parent  is  a  factor  in  the  limitation  of  the 
birth-rate,  the  mother  is  of  far  greater  importance  than  the 
father.  Gross1  presents  statistics  showing  that  women  are 
sterile  about  eight  times  as  frequently  as  men. 

Thirty-one  parents  among  those  of  249  families  had 
consumption,  dying  of  it  in  most  of  the  cases.  Twenty-two 
were  so  weak  and  delicate  that  they  were  called  invalids, 
18  suffered  from  nervous  prostration,  8  had  heart  trouble, 
5  were  insane,  while  there  were  many  reports  of  grave 
female  disorders  and  not  a  few  of  paralysis,  rheumatism 
and  cancer.  There  were  many  other  disorders  of  a  serious 
character  mentioned  at  least  one  time  each.  The  frequency 
with  which  consumption  and  cancer  were  noted  seems  to 
harmonize  with  the  observations  of  many  writers  on  the 
subject  of  fecundity,  that  cancer  and  tubercular  diseases 
are  especially  conducive  to  sterility. 

The  temperament  of  parents  was  described  as 
"nervous"  in  134  instances  out  of  249.     Forty-three  was 

1  See  Duncan's  Sterility  in  Women,  p.  3. 


16  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

the  greatest  number  described  by  any  other  single  expres- 
sion. There  were  37  cases,  out  of  226,  in  which  one  of  the 
parents  was  an  only  child.  Seven  of  these  were  among 
108  fathers  of  girls,  and  9  among  76  fathers  of  boys,  while 
13  belonged  to  120  mothers  of  girls  and  5  to  76  mothers 
of  boys.  The  only-child  parents  of  girls  are  more  often 
mothers  than  fathers,  while  the  opposite  is  true  for  parents 
of  bo3rs.  There  are  17  only-child  fathers  and  20  only-child 
mothers.  Whether  this  is  a  greater  ratio  than  would  be 
found  to  prevail  among  parents  generally  cannot  be  de- 
termined from  the  data  available,  though  it  seems  that  it 
must  be  considerably  greater  since  Ansell  found  that  one 
of  every  78  children  was  an  only-child. 

The  average  number  of  brothers  and  sisters  which  both 
the  209  fathers  and  226  mothers  had  is  3%.  Adding  one 
to  this,  we  have  4%  as  the  average  number  of  children 
for  these  families,  or  nearly  two  less  than  the  average 
which  Ansell  found  for  1,767  families.  The  average  number 
of  brothers  and  sisters  of  108  fathers  of  girls  is  3%  and 
of  120  mothers  of  girls  is  3%,  while  that  of  76  fathers 
of  boys  was  2%  and  of  81  mothers  of  boys  3%.  Thus 
the  mothers  of  girls  came  from  smaller  families  than  the 
fathers.  On  the  other  hand  the  fathers  of  boys  came  from 
smaller  families  than  the  mothers. 

The  health  record  of  the  brothers  and  sisters  of  the 
parents,  though  not  indicated  in  a  very  considerable  number 
of  the  reports,  showed  30  consumptives,  5  insane,  4  cancer- 
ous, many  cases  of  heart  trouble,  several  invalids,  several 
nervous  and  mental  wrecks  and  numerous  early  deaths. 
Although  sufficient  data  for  a  comparative  estimate  is  lack- 
ing, it  is  difficult  to  avoid  the  inference  that  the  health  was 
inferior  to  that  of  people  generally. 

The  average  age  of  fathers  at  the  time  of  the  birth  of 
149  girls  was  32%  years ;  of  the  mothers  of  157  girls  it 
was  26%,  the  two  averages  showing  a  disparity  of  about 
6  years.  The  average  age  of  fathers  at  the  time  of  the  birth 
of  86  boys  was  28 ;  of  the  mothers  of  the  same  number  of 
boys  it  was  24%  years,  the  average  difference  being  3% 
years.  The  average  age  of  the  fathers  at  the  time  of  the 
birth  of  235  of  both  sexes  was  30.5  years  and  that  of  the 
mothers  of  242  of  both  sexes  25.5,  the  average  disparity 
being  5  years.  It  is  perhaps  significant  that  the  mean  age 
of  parents  at  birth  of  boys,  28  for  fathers  and  24%  for 
mothers,  was  noticeably  lower  than  that  of  parents  at  birth 
of  girls,  which  was  32Yw  for  fathers  and  26%  for 
mothers.     Perhaps  it  tends  to  confirm  the  view  that  the 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  17 

children  born  in  the  later  stages  of  relative  sterility  are 
more  likely  to  be  girls  than  those  born  in  the  earlier  stages. 

In  218  marriages  the  mean  length  of  time  that  had 
elapsed  between  marriage  of  parents  and  birth  of  the  first 
child  was  approximately  3.5  years.  For  29  of  these  the 
time  between  marriage  and  birth  was  one  year,  for  54  it 
was  2  years,  for  39  it  was  3,  for  14  it  was  4,  for  17  it  was  5, 
for  5  it  was  6,  for  10  it  was  7,  for  2  it  was  8,  for  3  it  was  9, 
for  5  it  was  10,  for  2  it  was  11,  for  6  it  was  12,  for  1  it  was 
13  and  for  2  it  was  14.  Ansell1  found  in  6,035  marriages 
that  the  first  birth  was  within  1  year  after  marriage  in  3,159 
cases,  within  2  years  in  2,163,  within  3  in  421,  within  4  in 
137,  within  5  in  69,  within  6  in  26,  within  7  in  21,  within 
8  in  11,  within  9  in  7,  within  11  in  5,  within  12  in  4,  within 
13  in  13,  within  14  in  2.  A  comparison  of  these  figures  with 
those  given  above  for  the  218  marriages  will  show  the  degree 
of  variation  from  the  normal  time  that  elapses  between 
marriage  and  the  birth  of  the  first  child.  For  106,  or  nearly 
half  of  the  218,  this  time  was  3  years  or  more,  while  at  the 
corresponding  time  for  Ansell 's  6,035  marriages  only  about 
one  twenty-first  part  had  not  resulted  in  children.  That 
is,  only  1  in  21  of  the  6,035  couples  had  their  first  child 
after  3  years,  only  1  in  39  after  4  years.  Duncan,  in  com- 
menting on  Ansell's  table,  states  that  parents  who  have 
been  married  16  months  and  are  still  childless,  are  exhibiting 
signs  of  relative  sterility,  and  that  after  the  fourth  year 
has  been  entered  upon  without  children  there  is  a  presump- 
tion of  persistent  sterility.  With  this  in  mind  the 
significance  of  the  fact  that  the  average  length  of  time 
after  marriage  at  which  190  first-child  only  children  were 
born  was  about  3%  years,  becomes  apparent. 

There  were  a  number  of  very  early  marriages  reported, 
1  with  the  mother  at  11  and  several  as  early  as  15.  There 
were  also  a  number  of  marriages  occurring  near  the  end  of 
the  reproductive  period  for  one  or  both  parents.  It  is 
generally  claimed  that  the  best  years  for  reproduction  are 
those  from  24  to  35  for  women  and  30  to  40  for  men.  We 
should  infer,  therefore,  that  children  born  to  parents  of 
other  ages  will  have  poorer  health  as  a  rule,  an  inference 
which  ought  to  be  employed  in  accounting  for  the  poorer 
health  of  so  many  of  the  children  under  consideration. 
Apparently  the  strain  of  too  early  child-bearing  often  ex- 
hausts the  girl-mother's  stock  of  vitality  without  producing 
a  healthy  child  and  is  likely  to  result  in  the  early  loss  of 

l  See  Duncan's  Sterility  in  Women,  p.  19. 


18  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

fecundity.  While  child-bearing  near  the  end  of  the  repro- 
ductive period  may  not  be  so  injurious  to  the  mother's 
health,  it  appears  to  be  quite  as  unfortunate  for  the  child. 
Thus  12  of  the  32  youngest  children,  their  average  age 
being  11,  had  bad  health.  Of  these  12,  2  had  convulsions, 
2  lung  trouble,  1  kidney  and  eye  trouble,  while  4  were 
weak  and  delicate.  Mitchell1  found  among  433  idiots  that 
138  were  first-born  and  89  last-born.  Duncan2  is  inclined 
to  think  that  the  only  child,  especially  if  born  near  the  end 
of  the  reproductive  period,  is  more  likely  to  be  a  girl,  and 
to  represent  the  last  effort  of  the  stock  to  perpetuate  itself. 
The  greater  average  age  of  the  parents  of  the  girls  in  these 
reports  seems  to  confirm  his  view.  In  the  same  connection 
he  refers  to  Galton's  study  of  1,000  English  heiresses,  one- 
fifth  of  whom  had  no  male  children  at  all,  a  third  but  one 
child  and  three-fifths  not  more  than  two  children. 

The  habits  of  the  parents  were  said  to  be  bad  in  40 
instances.  There  were  20  confirmed  drunkards  and  many 
drinkers,  several  of  whom  were  mothers.  Five  fathers  were 
excessive  smokers.  The  work  of  five  mothers  was  thought 
to  be  unfavorable  to  child-bearing.  Five  others  were  im- 
moral. Over-fondness  for  society  and  late  hours  were 
mentioned  8  times  and  there  were  8  divorces  reported.  The 
occupations  were  mainly  sedentary  and,  therefore,  in-door. 
The  families  referred  to  were  predominantly  middle-class. 


IN  RELATION  TO  SCHOOL. 

Female.  Ten  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  Has  good 
health,  but  the  parents  thought  her  sickly  and  were  continually 
giving  her  medicine.  She  is  the  last  born  of  four  children,  three 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Her  school  attendance  commenced  at 
four,  but  was  very  irregular  until  she  was  ten.  If  she  disliked  the 
school  she  was  allowed  to  stay  at  home  for  a  while  and  then  try 
another.  She  gets  along  very  well  with  other  children  and  also 
in  school  work.  Not  much  time  is  spent  in  play,  as  most  of  the 
time  is  taken  up  by  music.  When  alone  her  favorite  amusement 
was  with  her  dolls.  Unselfishness  and  affection  are  the  best  traits, 
while  self-will  and  a  bad  temper  are  the  worst  ones.  Precocity 
is  pronounced  and  she  is  always  ready  with  an  answer.  She  has 
been  allowed  to  do  about  as  she  pleased  at  home  and  has  also 
been  favored  at  school.  The  father  was  twenty-seven,  and  the 
mother  twenty-five,  at  her  birth.  They  had  been  married  four 
years.  The  father,  who  was  a  consumptive  at  the  time  of  his 
marriage,  died  when  she  was  small.  He  had  two  sisters  and  the 
mother  one.     These  had  good  health. 

Male.  Fourteen  years  old.  American.  Very  nervous.  Not 
healthy;  had  asthma  till  twelve  but  is  better  now.  He  is  the 
second-born  of  three  children,  one  of  whom  was  dead  at  birth. 
The  other  lived  three  years.     Commenced  going  to  school  at  seven, 


i  See  Duncan's  Sterility  in  Women,  p.  62. 
2  Ibid,  pp.  66,   67,   68,  69. 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  19 

but  has  not  attended  regularly.  He  does  not  do  well  in  his  work 
or  get  along  well  with  his  play-mates.  Much  time  Is  spent  in 
plays  which  are  usually  those  that  boys  most  often  enjoy.  He  is 
generous.      He   is   also   deceitful.     The   treatment  has  been   rather 

re.  The  father  was  thirty-five  and  the  mother  thirty-two  at 
the  time  of  his  birth.  They  had  been  married  three  years.  Both 
are  still  living.  The  mother  does  not  have  good  health,  and  is 
club-footed.  The  father  has  good  health,  but  is  near-sighted.  He 
is  an  excessive  smoker.  The  mother's  character  is  not  good.  She 
had  two  sisters  and  he  had  several  half-brothers  and  sisters.  All 
of  these  seemed  to  have  good  health. 

Male.  Twenty-three  years  old.  American.  Equable.  Has 
very  good  health  now,  but  when  about  15  was  afflicted  with  St. 
Vitus  dance.  Has  had  no  brothers  or  sisters.  He  attends  school 
regularly,  having  entered  at  seven.  He  did  excellent  school  work, 
but  is  indifferent  towards  other  children.  Instead  of  playing  he 
would  sit  in  the  Navy  Yard  and  examine  machinery.  Seems  to 
have  no  bad  traits.  He  has  been  indulged  both  at  home  and  in 
school.  He  has  been  too  much  under  the  influence  of  his  mother, 
and  is  very  effeminate.  At  the  time  of  his  birth  the  father  was 
twenty-seven  and  the  mother  twenty.  They  had  good  health, 
but  the  father  is  intemperate.  The  mother  had  two  brothers  and 
two  sisters;  the  father  two  sisters.     These  have  good  health. 

Male.  Seven  and  a  half  years  old.  American.  Irritable.  Is 
not  a  very  healthy  child,  but  this  is  probably  due  to  his  not  being 
allowed  to  play  out  in  the  open  air  as  much  as  other  children.  He 
is  the  only  child  his  parents  have  had.  Until  this  fall  he  was 
taught  at  home  by  his  mother,  but  now  attends  the  graded  school. 
His  attendance  is  regular.  The  other  children  delight  in  teasing 
him  and  he  gets  along  better  with  the  girls  than  with  the  boys. 
He  is  very  slow  in  his  school  work.  His  favorite  games  are  those 
that  can  be  carried  on  in-doors,  for  which  the  real  boys  have 
called  him  "the  girl-boy."  He  is  not  talkative,  but  is  sly  and 
willing  to  blame  others  for  his  own  mis-doings.  Is  also  selfish  and 
wants  his  own  way  in  playing.  He  is  not  very  bright  and  one 
cannot  help  noticing  the  dreamy  expression  of  his  face.  His  home 
treatment  has  made  a  baby  of  him,  while  the  impartiality  of  school 
life  does  not  please  him.  The  trouble  rests  with  his  parents.  The 
father  was  forty-three  and  the  mother  forty-one  when  he  was 
born.  The  former  has  one  brother  and  one  sister;  the  latter  three 
brothers  and  one  sister.  These  seem  to  be  in  good  health.  The 
father  is  deaf. 

Male.  Ten  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  He  has  a  bad 
throat  and  is  quite  delicate.  Is  large  for  his  age.  He  began 
going  to  school  shortly  before  he  was  six  years  old  and  attends 
regularly  when  his  health  permits.  If  the  other  children  do  not 
yield  him  his  own  way  he  will  not  play.  He  is  quite  bright  in  his 
studies,  but  has  to  be  encouraged  very  often.  Active  plays,  and 
those  in  which  he  can  win,  suit  him  best.  He  has  many  moods. 
Sometimes  he  is  pleasant,  but  more  often  very  disagreeable.  He 
is  deceitful  and  has  a  bad  temper.  He  is  quite  precocious.  The 
vocal  organs  are  defective  and  he  stammers  in  his  speech  so  that 
it  is  difficult  to  understand  him.  It  would  be  well  if  he  had  more 
play-mates  and  were  compelled  to  share  with  them.  The  ages  of 
his  parents  at  the  time  of  his  birth  were  thirty-seven  and  thirty- 
nine  years.  They  had  been  married  twelve  years.  They  are  in 
good  health.     The  mother  had  one  sister  and  six  brothers. 

Sixteen  of  272  who  were  of  school  age,  did  not  attend 
school,  while  74  of  those  who  did  attend  were  very  irregular. 
Many  were  allowed  to  remain  at  home  whenever  they 
wished,  others  were  kept  at  home  whenever  the  weather 
was  at  all  threatening  and  still  others  were  allowed  to  attend 


20  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

first  one  school  and  then  another.  Quite  a  number  had 
private  tutors  at  home  and  a  yet  larger  number  attended 
private  schools.  Frequently  they  did  not  begin  going  to 
school  until  several  years  later  than  the  usual  time  for 
children  to  enter.  Two  began  at  3  years  of  age,  7  at  4, 
36  at  5,  78  at  6,  81  at  7,  24  at  8,  8  at  9,  4  at  10,  2  at  11 
and  2  at  13  and  14  respectively.  The  average  age  for 
entering  school  was  Vh  years.  Bearing  in  mind  the  fact 
that  kindergarten  attendance  was  included  it  is  apparent 
that  these  children  entered  school  between  two  and  three 
years  later  than  is  usual.  This  may  have  been  due,  in  part, 
to  their  poorer  health,  but  it  must  be  attributed  mainly 
to  the  unwillingness  of  parents  to  send  them  earlier. 
Perhaps  also,  they  were  not  so  anxious  to  begin  as  those 
having  older  brothers  and  sisters.  It  would  seem,  however, 
that  the  only  child  should  be  more  anxious  than  others 
to  start  to  school  because  of  the  promise  of  increased  com- 
panionship. Certainly  they  are  more  timid  about  making 
the  transition  from  the  home  life  to  that  of  the  school. 

The  answers  to  inquiries  concerning  their  interest  and 
progress  in  the  different  subjects  of  study  pursued  in  school 
yielded  but  little  information.  It  was  stated  that  117  were 
poorest  in  arithmetic  and  that  78  were  best  in  the  same 
subject.  No  other  subject  was  mentioned  more  than  41 
times. 

PLAY  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE. 

Female.  Eight  years  old.  American.  "Self  reliant,  but  es- 
pecially sensitive  to  rebuke.  Well  developed  physically  and  with- 
out any  defect  except  weak  eyes.  She  had  been  accustomed  to 
play  alone  or  with  older  persons.  One  morning,  about  two  months 
after  she  had  entered  the  kindergarten,  the  children  were  taking 
their  seats  as  usual  at  the  conclusion  of  the  preliminary  exercises. 
M had  taken  pains  to  reserve  a  chair  by  her  side.  On  notic- 
ing the  vacant  chair,   I  told   J to  sit  by   M .     Several  of 

the    children    said,    'But    M will    not    let    any    one   sit    there. 

She  says  it  is  for  her  friend.'  After  a  moment's  thought  I  re- 
called  that   she   had    greeted   me   that   morning  with,    'Miss  , 

I  have  a  little  friend  with  me!'  Seeing  no  child,  I  had  supposed 
the  mother,  who  very  often  spent  half  the  morning  in  the  kinder- 
garten, would  bring  the  little  friend  later.  I  also  remembered 
that  she  had  a  vacant  chair  by  her  during  the  story  in  the  circle. 
I  called  her  to  me  and  asked  her  to  tell  me  what  she  meant.  She 
said  I  had  told  them  they  might  bring  their  little  friends  to 
school  and  that  she  had  brought  hers.  I  told  her  I  did  not  see 
him  and  asked  where  he  was.  He  was  in  the  dressing  room,  she 
replied.  We  went  out  to  bring  him  in.  On  the  way  out  she 
talked  all  the  time,  explaining  that  it  was  a  little  boy  friend  with 
whom  she  played  at  home.  On  reaching  the  dressing  room  she 
ran  to  the  other  end  of  the  room,  pretended  to  take  hold  of  a 
child's  hand,  who  was  a  little  younger  than  herself,  and  led  him 
to  me.     I  pretended  to  shake  hands  and  asked  his  name.     It  was 

J .     We  took  off  his  wraps.     We  then  led  him  into  the  school 

room,  M holding  one  hand  and  I  the  other.     She  pulled  out 

the    reserved    chair    and    seated    the    imaginary    J .      M 's 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  21 

manner  was  very  matter-of-fact.     While  she  was  seating  her  little 

friend    I   told    the    others   that    M had    brought   a   little    play 

child,  a  little  make-believe  boy,  to  spend  the  day  with  us;  that  he 
was  not  even  a  doll  dressed  as  a  little  boy  and  that  we  should 
try  to  see  what  a  happy  time  we  could  make  them  have.  Some 
of  the  faces  expressed  disapproval,  others  of  them  looked  at  her 
as  if  there  was  something  uncanny  about  her,  while  others 
started   to   make  fun   of  her.     They  were  easily  checked,"  and  so 

the    imaginary    J spent    the    day.      He    was    given    the   same 

material  to  work  with,  M doing  his  work  as  well  as  her  own. 

He  played   the  games  with   us,   M insisting  that  the  children 

take  his  hands  in  the  game.  She  pretended  to  show  him  how 
to  hop  like  the  birds,  etc.  She  shared  her  lunch  with  him  and, 
when  ready  to  go  home,  put  his  wraps  on.     Before  she  started  I 

called  her  in,  telling  her  at  the  same  time,  to  leave  J in  the 

dressing  room.  Taking  her  on  my  lap  I  asked  her  if  they  had 
had  a  happy  day.     She  replied,  with  a  bright  face,  that  they  had. 

After  telling  her  I  was  glad  they  had,   I  said,   'but,   M ,   J     ■ 

is  not  a  real  boy,  is  he?'  'No,'  she  replied,  'but  I  play  with  him 
at  home.'  I  then  tried  to  persuade  her  that  she  had  to  do  so 
much  for  him  that  she  could  not  give  any  time  to  her  real  friends, 
who  were  sorry,  and  asked  her  if  it  would  not  be  better  to  leave 

J at  home.     She  replied,   'yes.'     Her  parents  soon  afterwards 

told  me  she  had  several  imaginary  friends,   but  two  special   ones, 

a    little   girl    and    a   little   boy,    J .      She   spent   so   much    time 

with  them  that  they  were  uneasy  and  had  sent  her  to  the  kinder- 
garten with  the  hope  of  having  her  forget  them.  They  said  she 
usually  announced  the  fact  when  she  wished  to  take  them  out 
with  her,  but  that,  on  the  occasion  above  alluded  to,  she  had 
failed  to  do  so.  Her  happiest  hours  were  spent  in  this  way.  She 
continued  to  play  with  these  imaginary  companions  at  home,  but 
never  again,    in   the   four  years  that   I  had  her,    did   she  refer  to 

J .      She    was   always    ready   to    'make    up'    a   story  about   the 

house  she  had  built,  etc.  She  was  especially  good  at  illustrating 
stories  that  had   been  told   to    her,    on  the  blackboard. 

"She  has  a  good  healthy  disposition  in  most  respects,  but  is 
mean  and  little  about  some  things.  She  will  share  her  lunch  with 
others  very  grudingly  and  hold  on  to  old  things  long  after  they 
are  of  no  value.  Her  grandmother  gave  her,  on  her  sixth  birthday, 
a  'companion,'  containing  pencils,  paper,  etc.  She  had  been  using 
an  old  and  worthless  one  which  I  had  supposed  she  would  throw 

into  the  trash  basket,  but  she  gave  it  to  A .     Soon  after  I  heard 

her  tell  A that  she  would  have  to  return  it,  as  she  had  only 

pretended  to  give  it  to  her.     I  tried,  by  means  of  persuasion  and 

explanation,  to  have  M understand  that  it  was  now  no  longer 

hers,  but  observed  at  the  close  of  the  day  that  she  took  the 
'companion'  '  home  with  her.  She  said  it  was  one  she  had  had 
for  a  long  time  and  that  she  could  not  part  with  it.  (Such 
conduct  was  often  excused  by  means  of  sentiment.)  Another 
time   a    penny   belonging   to    one   of  the   children   was  left   on   the 

table.     Some  of  the  children  saw  M take  it.     She  denied  having 

done  so,  but  a  prolonged  conversation  with  her  caused  her  to 
find  the  penny.  She  said  she  thought  it  was  hers.  I  never  re- 
garded her  as  untruthful  or  untrustworthy.  She  was  certainly 
fussy   and   over-particular." 

Male.  Seven  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  Has  bronchial 
trouble.  Has  never  had  brother  or  sister.  He  entered  school  at 
five  and  has  attended  regularly.  He  is  backward  with  other 
children,  but  succeeds  fairly  well  in  work.  He  spends  much  time 
in  play,  at  school,  playing  much  the  same  games  as  other  children. 
He  is  selfish,  yet  obedient.  He  is  also  precocious.  The  home 
treatment  has  been  good.  The  mother  was  twenty  and  the  father 
twenty-two  at  his  birth.  They  both  had  good  health.  The  father 
has  three  sisters  and   one  brother,   the  mother  six  sisters. 

Female.  Nineteen  years  old.  American.  Sympathetic  tem- 
perament.    Health  usually  very  good.     I  had  an  older  sister  who 


22  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

lived  a  little  more  than  three  years.  Entered  school  when  about 
eight,  and  have  attended  regularly.  I  never  got  along  very  well 
with  a  number  of  girls,  but  generally  wanted  just  one  friend  to 
be  with  most  of  the  time,  and  even  yet  I  would  rather  go  with 
just  the  one.  Liked  to  go  to  school  and  succeeded  very  well,  but 
found  it  hard  to  settle  down  to  work.  Never  cared  for  such  play- 
things as  other  children  had.  The  games  at  home  were  usually 
quiet,  such  as  matching  cards,  jacks,  etc.  I  was  patient  but  lacked 
self-reliance,  for  others  had  usually  done  for  me  what  I  did  not 
care  to  undertake  by  myself.  I  was  humored  by  my  mother, 
with  whom  I  spent  a  great  deal  of  my  time.  At  my  birth  she 
was  twenty-five  and  my  father  twenty-four  years  of  age.  They 
had  been  married  four  years.  My  father  is  a  farmer,  and  does 
not  have  good  health.  He  has  no  brothers  or  sisters,  but  my 
mother  has  four  brothers,  who  enjoy  good  health. 

Female.  Eleven  years  old.  American-Jew.  Nervous.  Has 
had  no  brothers  or  sisters.  Health  good.  She  attends  a  boarding 
school  and  is  regular  in  her  attendance,  which  was  begun  at 
nine.  She  does  not  get  along  well  with  other  children,  and  often 
will  not  play  unless  she  can  have  her  own  way.  She  plays  a 
great  deal.  At  home  she  places  books  on  chairs  as  pupils  and, 
with  another  book  in  her  hand,  she  addresses  the  chairs  as  her 
pupils.  She  also  likes  to  play  theatre,  pretending  that  she  is  a 
ballet  girl.  Her  home  surroundings  lead  to  this.  She  is  kind  and 
sympathetic,  but  also  contrary,  vain  and  precocious.  The  loss  of 
sight  in  one  eye  and  a  broken  arm  were  caused  at  birth.  She  has 
been  surrounded  generally  by  adults  who  have  petted  and  spoiled 
her.  The  parents  were  e'ach  about  twenty-five  at  her  birth  and 
had  been  married  about  two  years.  They  have  good  health.  Both 
are  excitable  and  nervous.  The  mother  keeps  a  boarding  house. 
The  father  is  an  accountant. 

Male.  Eighteen  years  old.  American.  Irritable.  Has  good 
health.  He  entered  school  at  seven  and  attends  regularly.  With 
other  children  he  is  always  striving  for  the  mastery  and  con- 
sequently does  not  get  along  with  them  very  well.  In  work  he  is 
slow.  He  spends  much  time  in  play.  He  enjoys  playing  with 
pets.  He  tells  many  improbable  stories.  One  of  these  was  about 
a  lion  and  a  tiger  fighting  in  his  back  yard.  He  saw  them  from 
his  window,  put  on  his  hat,  went  out  and  killed  the  lion,  which 
was  about  to  conquer.  He  is  affectionate,  but  very  selfish  also. 
Has  too  much  home  indulgence.  The  father's  age  at  his  birth 
was  thirty-eight,  that  of  the  mother  thirty.  They  had  been 
married  three  years.  The  father  has  good  health;  the  mother  is 
excitable.  Three  sisters  of  the  father  died  in  infancy  and  only  one 
of  his  two  brothers  is  now  living.  The  mother  had  three  brothers 
and  two  sisters.     This  boy  has  an  only-child  cousin. 

Out  of  a  total  of  269,  there  were  134  who  did  not  get 
along  well  with  others,  54  only  fairly  well  and  81  who 
seem  to  be  normal  in  this  respect.  When  they  disagreed 
with  other  children  it  was  usually  because  of  a  desire  to 
rule.  If  they  failed  in  this  they  were  likely  to  refuse  to 
associate  with  the  children  who  caused  the  failure.  They 
were  very  likely  to  choose  younger  companions  whom  they 
could  control  or  older  ones  who  were  willing  to  be  indulgent. 
Many  did  not  care  for  a  large  number  of  associates  and 
selected  one  or  two  for  friends  with  whom  they  preferred 
to  spend  most  of  their  time.  They  did  not  in  many  instances 
enjoy  beino;  in  crowds,  and  were  inclined  to  keep  out  of 
games  and  very  often  remained  in-doors  to  visit  with  the 
teacher.     A  marked  preference  for  the  company  of  older 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  23 

people  was  manifested,  even  when  every  opportunity  for 
association  with  younger  persons  was  present.  No  doubt 
this  was  due  less  to  a  dislike  of  younger  company  than  to 
their  inability  to  understand,  and  be  understood  by,  children 
of  near  their  own  ages.  It  is  plainly  evident  that  they 
had  much  the  same  longing  for  society  as  the  children  of 
other  families,  but  their  isolated  home  life  had  failed  to 
give  them  equal  skill  and  ability  in  realizing  their  social 
interests.  They  did  not  understand  so  well  how  to  make 
approaches,  how  to  concede  this  thing  and  that  and  were 
not  so  likely  to  fall  readily  into  companionable  relationship 
with  those  who  were  unaccustomed  to  yield  more  than  half 
to  others.  The  greater  intimacy  with  parents  certainly  con- 
tributed to  premature  social  development  in  certain 
directions. 

They  were  very  often  imposed  upon,  notwithstanding 
the  willingness  which  many  of  them  displayed  to  practice 
impositions  on  others.  There  were,  of  course,  not  a  few 
who  were  entirely  normal  in  this  respect,  but  they  were 
the  ones  who  had  played  more  with  children  of  their  own 
ages,  had  had  more  sensible  treatment  at  home  and  enjoyed 
more  vigorous  health.  Quite  a  number  seemed  to  begin  to 
overcome  these  limitations  at  the  age  of  puberty. 

That  they  were  not  less  anxious  for  companionship  than 
other  children  was  shown  in  the  rather  common  practice 
of  indulging  in  imaginary  companionship,  of  which  there 
were  about  fifty  well  defined  cases.  Miss  Vostrovsky1  found 
in  the  study  of  a  number  of  such  cases  that  a  dislike  of 
solitude  and  a  longing  for  more  appreciative  and  sym- 
pathetic relations  with  others,  were  the  chief  factors  in 
their  development.  The  ones  reported  in  the  present  study 
appear  to  have  had  such  an  origin. 

There  was  evidence  in  many  of  the  reports  to  warrant 
the  assumption  that  only  children,  as  a  class,  have  more 
than  ordinary  power  of  imagery.  This  is  an  inference, 
however,  which  does  not  harmonize'  with  the  views  of 
Baldwin,2  who  says:  "And  while  he  (the  only  child) 
becomes  proficient  in  some  lines  of  instruction,  he  fails 
in  imagination,  in  brilliancy  of  fancy."  On  the  other 
hand,  Stilly8  states  that  his  studies  have  lead  him  to^  a 
conclusion  directly  opposite  to  that  arrived  at  by  Baldwin. 


1  A    Study    of    Imaginary    Companions,    Education,    Vol.    XV, 
p.  383. 

2  Mental  Development,  p.  358. 
8  Studies  in  Childhood,  p.   39. 


24  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

Of  244,  there  were  138  who  spent  the  usual  amount  of 
time  in  play  at  school,  44  who  gave  less  time  to  it,  and  62 
who  played  little  or  none.  Many  of  the  62  stood  around 
and  watched  others  play,  showing  little  inclination  to  join 
in  active  games.  They  preferred  the  quieter  forms  of  play 
and  often  liked  to  he  alone.  If  left  to  their  own  choice 
they  were  not  unlikely  to  be  found  in  the  school  room 
with  their  teachers  during  intermissions.  It  was  stated  in 
a  number  of  the  reports  that  the  boys  preferred  to  play 
with  the  girls,  at  strictly  girls'  games,  such  as  keeping 
house  with  dolls,  and  that  they  generally  came  to  be  called 
" girl-boys.' '  As  a  rule  they  amused  themselves  in  quieter 
ways  and  appeared  to  take  less  pleasure  in  noisy  games  of 
any  sort.  It  was  mentioned  very  often  that  they  devoted 
a  considerable  amount  of  time  to  reading  and  that  they 
were  disposed  to  resent  the  intrusion  of  others  upon  their 
privacy.  Those  who  joined  in  active  play  at  school  fell 
back  into  quieter  ways  at  home. 

Their  best  traits,  in  the  order  of  frequency  of  mention, 
were  affection,  honesty,  ohedience  and  generosity.  The 
worst  traits,  in  similar  order,  were  selfishness,  " spoiled,' ' 
temper,  jealousy,  untruthfulness,  stubbornness  and  haughti- 
ness. The  most  prominent  characteristics  were  precocity, 
mentioned  in  134  cases  out  of  238,  selfishness  in  94,  imagin- 
ativeness in  48,  affection  in  40,  jealousy  in  25,  mental  defects 
in  23,  temper  in  23,  self-will  and  vanity  in  20. 

The  only  boy,  only  girl  and  youngest  child  resemble  the 
only  child  in  many  respects,  particularly  those  which  relate 
to  the  home  environment  and  treatment.  It  appears  to  be 
true  also  that  the  youngest  child,  like  the  only  child,  is 
liable  to  lack  in  bodily  vigor.  Individuals  of  each  of  the 
three  classes  were  quite  generally  indulged  by  the  parents. 
The  effects  of  such  behavior  on  the  part  of  the  parents 
were  generally  more  unsatisfactorv  in  the  case  of  the  onlv 
boy,  or  at  least  so  it  appeared.  Kolrausche,1  who  made  a 
study  of  "Jugendspiele  und  Einzelsohne"  in  the  Kaiser 
Wilhelm  Gymnasium  at  Hanover,  observed  that  the  only 
sons  entered  into  movement  plays  less  regularly,  if  at  all, 
than  the  other  boys.  Observations  of  the  games,  (especially 
foot  ball)  participated  in  by  the  pupils  from  unter  tertia 
to  prima,  showed  that  of  the  70  with  brothers  47  per  cent 
entered  into  the  games  regularly,  16  per  cent  irregularly 
and  37  per  cent  exceptionally  or  not  at  all.  Of  the  68  only 
sons,  13  per  cent  took  part  regularly,  12  per  cent  irregularly 

IE.  Kolrausche.  Zeitschrift  Fur  Schule  Gesundheitsflege, 
Vol.  IV.,  p.  178. 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  25 

and  75  per  cent  not  at  all.  The  only  sons  showed  a  greater 
number  of  bad  athletes.  Kolrausche  concluded  that  the 
home  environment  of  only  sons  is  not  satisfactory  and 
that  the  '  *  Jugendspiele ' '  should  be  made  compulsory. 

PRECOCITY. 

Male.  Sixteen  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  He  is  natural- 
ly delicate  and  is  kept  up  only  by  the  most  constant  attention. 
He  has  never  had  brothers  or  sisters.  He  entered  school  at  six 
and  has  been  regular  in  his  attendance.  In  his  earlier  school  days 
he  did  not  get  along  well  with  the  other  children,  especially  with 
boys,  who  did  not  like  to  play  with  him  because,  as  they  said,  he 
had  to  tell  his  mother  everything.  In  school  work  he  succeeded 
especially  well.  He  would  join  in  most  of  the  games  at  school, 
but  usually  withdrew  when  any  roughness  made  its  appearance. 
This  may  have  been  due  to  his  physical  condition,  as  he  had  poor 
eyes  and  spinal  curvative.  The  home  treatment  was  of  a  nature 
to  develop  a  marked  religious  tendency.  This  has  grown  so  that 
his  mother  goes  to  him  as  she  would  to  an  older  person  to  discuss 
religious  topics  in  which  she  is  interested,  and  she  finds  that  he 
talks  remarkably  well  about  such  things.  His  teachers  always 
treated  him  with  a  great  deal  of  respect.  He  never  gave  them 
cause  to  treat  him  otherwise,  for  both  his  conduct  and  work  were 
far  above  the  average.  The  father  was  thirty  and  the  mother 
twenty-five,  at  his  birth.  They  had  been  married  four  years.  Both 
have  delicate  health.  The  father  has  two  sisters  and  two  brothers. 
These  latter  do  not  have  good  health. 

Female.  Nine  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  Is  troubled 
with  heart  disease.  Has  never  had  brothers  or  sisters.  She 
entered  school  when  seven  and  has  attended  regularly,  succeeding 
very  well  in  the  work.  She  is  precocious.  Her  ways  are  those 
of  older  people  and  she  is  in  a  class  of  pupils  at  school  who  are 
from  two  to  five  years  older  than  she  is.  Her  parents  are  quite 
strict  with  her  and  treat  her  as  if  she  were  grown.  The  father 
was  thirty-one  and  the  mother  thirty-two,  at  her  birth.  They  had 
been  married  three  years.  Their  habits  are  good.  The  father 
is  a  lime  agent;  the  mother  was  a  teacher.  The  father  had  two 
brothers  and  two  sisters;   the  mother  had  none. 

Female.  Eleven  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  She  is 
thought  to  be  quite  delicate  and  great  care  is  taken  of  her.  She  is 
kept  in  a  warm  room  and  seldom  allowed  to  go  out.  She  is  often 
sick  and  under  the  doctor's  care.  She  has  never  had  brothers 
or  sisters.  She  has  a  governess  and  has  never  attended  school. 
She  has  few  companions  of  her  own  age  and  associates  mainly 
with  grown-ups.  She  talks  and  acts  in  a  grown-up  manner.  When 
she  plays  with  other  children  she  gets  along  with  them  reasonably 
well,  but  she  does  not  care  to  run  or  take  part  in  active  sports. 
She  likes  her  lessons  and  is  quick  to  learn.  She  is  affectionate 
and  obedient,  doing  everything  she  can  to  please  her  parents.  Her 
parents  give  her  a  great  deal  of  attention  and  gratify  her  every 
wish.  They  are  always  planning  something  for  her,  and  do  not 
like  to  have  her  away  from  them.  It  is  my  impression  that  she 
should  associate  more  with  persons  of  her  own  age.  Her  parents 
were  both  about  thirty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  birth.  The 
father  is  a  lawyer  and  the  family  occupies  a  good  social  position. 

Male.  Twenty-two  years  old.  American.  Nervous.  Has  never 
been  robust.  He  entered  school  at  eight,  but  did  not  attend 
regularly  for  several  years  because  his  mother  was  always  anxious 
about  him  whenever  he  was  out  of  her  sight.  As  he  became  older 
and,  as  she  thought,  better  able  to  take  care  of  himself,  his  at- 
tendance grew  to  be  quite  regular.  He  enjoyed  the  society  of  other 
boys,  but  his  mother  determined  the  amount  of  time  he  should 
devote  to   play  and   as  a  result  he  played  less  than  he  desired. 


26  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

Fortunately  for  him  he  was  fonder  of  reading  than  of  anything 
else  and  when  other  boys  were  out  on  the  street  he  was  with  his 
books.  He  made  remarkable  progress  in  his  studies  and  even  his 
games  were  those  which  had  some  connection  with  literature, 
history,  etc.  His  best  trait  is  his  fondness  for  his  mother.  During 
the  last  two  years,  while  away  from  home,  he  has  written  her  an 
average  of  three  letters  a  week.  He  has  no  bad  traits.  He  was 
always  coddled  at  home  and  as  his  early  school  work  was  with 
an  aunt  for  a  teacher,  it  is  safe  to  say  he  was  petted  in  school. 
It  has  always  appeared  to  me  that  he  should  have  had  more  of 
the  free  out-door  life  of  other  boys;  yet  he  has  turned  out  to  be 
a  good  boy  and  others  have  not.  The  father  was  twenty-five  and 
the  mother  twenty-three,  at  his  birth.  They  had  been  married  a 
year.  The  father  died  when  the  boy  was  nine  years  old.  The 
mother  is  exceedingly  nervous.  She  had  one  brother.  The  father 
had  four  sisters  and  two  brothers.  The  boy's  submission  to  ma- 
ternal whims  has  made  him  a  subject  of  many  jokes,  but  he  does 
not  mind  them. 

Female.  Nine  years  old.  Dignified.  Was  an  old  fashioned 
kind  of  girl.  If  you  had  talked  to  her  as  to  others  of  her  age 
she  would  have  been  insulted.  Would  come  into  our  house,  sit 
down  and  talk  like  some  little  old  woman.  Never  cared  to  play 
with  children  of  her  own  age.  If  she  could  not  find  older  girls  to 
play  with  she  would  visit  with  the  mothers  of  the  children,  rather 
than  play  with  the  younger  ones.  Her  peculiarities  in  this  respect 
seem  to  be  due  to  having  been  too  much  with  older  persons.  She 
had  spinal  trouble  when  young;  was  a  cripple  for  a  while  and  not 
allowed  to  play  with  others  for  fear  of  being  hurt,  hence  she  did 
not  care  for  children  when  older.  She  was  petted  a  great  deal 
at  home  and  treated  as  if  a  great  deal  older.  Disagreeable  to  an 
extent  and  wanted  her  own  way.     Did  not  go  to  school. 

Although  these  and  other  examples  of  precocious  or 
premature  mental  development  were  undoubtedly  the  result 
mainly  of  the  social  environment  there  is  reason  for  thinking 
that  the  physical  condition  was  especially  favorable  to  the 
development  of  such  prematurity.  The  lack  of  vigor,  the 
prevalence  of  nervous  instability  and  other  physical  short- 
comings supplied  the  conditions  which  predispose  to  pre- 
cocity. It  is  a  result  which  inevitably  suggests  the  early 
flowering  and  fruitasre  of  the  failing  plant,  the  windfall. 
The  rather  constant  association  with  older  persons,  to  state 
it  positively,  or  the  lack  of  companionship  with  children 
of  their  own  ages,  to  state  it  negatively,  is  the  most  im- 
portant factor  in  producing  the  peculiarity  in  question. 
They  shared  too  largely  in  the  affairs  of  adults  and  could 
not  well  avoid  the  development  of  an  outlook  beyond  their 
years.  The  mental  attitude,  the  language,  the  manners  and 
conduct  generally,  were  modeled  after  those  of  mature 
people  and  the  result  is  obvious  in  any  typical  only-child. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

The  health  and  vitality  of  these  only  children  were 
below  the  average  for  the  ordinary  child.  Mental  and 
physical  abnormalities  were  unusually  common  among  them. 

Neuropathic  conditions  were  not  uncommon  in  other 
members  of  the  family,  while  the  greater  average  length  of 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  27 

time  elapsing  between  marriages  and  the  birth  of  children 
points  to  the  presence  of  a  marked  degree  of  relative 
sterility  in  the  stock. 

The  average  of  th cages  of  parents  at  the  birth  of  girls 
was  considerably  higher  than  that  for  parents  of  boys  at 
the  corresponding  time.  A  greater  percentage  of  the  girls 
had  only-child  mothers  and  a  higher  percentage  of  the  boys 
had  only-child  fathers. 

They  usually  entered  school  later,  were  more  irregular 
in  attendance  and  met  with  less  success  in  the  work  than 
other  children.  The  percentage  of  those  who  attended  the 
public  school  was  less  than  that  for  all  children  in  public 
schools. 

They  did  not  join  in  plays  and  games  so  readily  or 
often  as  other  children  of  the  same  ages,  and  as  a  rule 
preferred  a  quieter  form  of  amusement.  The  practice  of 
indulging  in  imaginary  companionship  was  quite  common. 
In  their  relations  with  other  children  it  not  infrequently 
happened  that  they  preferred  to  associate  with  older  or 
younger  persons  and  often  with  the  opposite  sex.  They 
were  less  efficient  socially  and  experienced  more  friction 
in  their  intercourse. 

Probably  precocity  was  the  most  prominent  mental,  and 
selfishness  the  most  striking  moral,  characteristic. 

The  youngest  children,  the  only  boys  and  the  only  girls 
described,  resembled  the  only-child  very  closely  in  mental 
and  social  qualities.  The  number  of  reports  on  twins  was 
too  small  to  supply  noteworthy  suggestions. 

As  a  rule  the  parents  were  both  over-solicitious  and 
too  indulgent,  an  attitude  which  deprived  the  child  of 
freedom  when  he  needed  it  and  granted  it  when  it  should 
have  been  refused,  with  the  result  that  he  found  himself 
unable  to  secure  from  others  the  concessions  he  expected 
or  to  grant  those  required  of  him. 

The  data  considered  in  this  study  does  not  justify  any 
definite  conclusions  as  to  the  extent  to  which  the  less  favor- 
able health  of  the  only-child  class  is  a  consequence  of  the 
home  treatment.  At  the  same  time  it  does  not  seem  un- 
reasonable to  assume  that  there  was  a  causal  connection 
between  the  poorer  health  of  these  and  the  general  character 
of  the  home  life.  It  is  easy  to  believe  that  a  more  rational 
attitude  on  the  part  of  the  parents  would  have  resulted  in 
an  improved  physical  condition  on  the  part  of  the  child. 

The  connection  between  the  home  life  and  the  mental, 
moral  and  social  peculiarities  of  such  children  is  obvious 
enough  and  many  inferences  of  a  pedagogical  nature  are 
suggested.     The  reports  and  common  observation  clearly 


28  EXCEPTIONAL  CHILDREN  AND 

show  that  the  home  environment  is  the  chief  factor  in  pro- 
ducing the  only-child  type.  The  same  evidence  shows  also 
that  the  mother  is  more  responsible  than  the  father  in  this 
respect.  The  only-child,  when  a  boy,  is  likely  to  be 
effeminate,  both  because  he  associates  too  little  with  boys 
and  too  much  with  the  mother.  He  is  likely  to  be  a 
" mother's  boy,"  a  type  for  which  the  normal  boy  has  little 
respect ;  is  likely  to  have  an  unnatural  aversion  to  dirt  and 
noise  and  unlikely  to  engage  in  the  rough-and-tumble  play 
peculiar  to  boys.  Whether  boys  or  girls,  they  have  less  of 
the  power  of  initiative  and  less  ability  to  adapt  themselves 
to  the  changing  situations  incident  to  the  association  of 
children  under  ordinary  conditions.  They  are  less  venture- 
some and  more  fearful  of  the  consequences  of  their  own 
acts.  They  are,  therefore,  less  able  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves in  emergencies.  They  are  over  sensitive  in  their 
responses  to  the  overtures  of  other  children  and  too  ready 
to  regard  them  as  manifestations  of  hostility.  The  defer- 
ential consideration  to  which  they  have  been  accustomed 
in  the  home  creates  an  unwillingness  on  their  part  to  make 
the  adjustments  which  characterize  the  intercourse  of  other 
children.  Possessing  little  of  the  give-and-take  spirit 
peculiar  to  such  intercourse,  the  only-child  is  likely  to  re- 
main near  the  circumference  of  the  circle  within  which 
the  social  development  of  the  child  should  take  place. 

Too  much  association  with  older  persons,  especially  the 
parents,  is  conducive  to  prematurity  of  development,  one 
of  the  most  obvious  characteristics  as  well  as  one  of  the 
most  unsatisfactory.  The  blighting  effects  of  such  stimula- 
tion are  as  glaring  as  they  are  unlovely  and  it  is  rather 
difficult  to  understand  how  the  parents  can  so  far  delude 
themselves  as  to  mistake  such  forwardness  for  extraordinary 
mental  capacity.  The  results  would  be  more  or  less  pathetic 
if  they  were  not  so  often  suggestive  of  the  ridiculous.  The 
priggish  self-conceit  and  the  smug  behavior  of  the  "mamma 
Kindsc'lien"  are  a  sure  guarantee  of  a  generous  measure 
of  teasing  and  badgering.  If  enough  of  it  is  permitted  and 
endured  the  individual  may  eventually  be  transformed, 
though  neither  the  child  nor  his  mother  is  likely  to  welcome 
it.  Children  who  have  brothers  and  sisters  cannot  escape 
the  occasions  for  such  conflict  and  co-operation  and  find 
themselves  prepared  to  meet  the  conditions  involved  in  life 
outside  of  the  family  circle,  largely  because  the  home  life 
compels  the  development  of  the  power  of  adaptation.  Most 
parents,  especially  most  mothers,  cannot  easily  endure  the 
thought  of  having  their  offspring  subjected  to  the  rather 
unsympathetic  treatment  involved  in  being  one  of  the  group, 


THE  ONLY  CHILD  IN  THE  FAMILY  29 

though  they  are  fairly  well  able  to  do  so  when  the  group 
is  composed  of  members  of  the  family. 

Certainly  the  only-child,  the  youngest  child,  the  only 
boy,  and  the  only  girl,  more  than  other  children,  stand  in 
need  of  the  opportunities  which  attendance  at  the  public 
school  will  supply.  The  excessive  humoring  of  their  whims, 
the  constant  practice  of  intervening  when  harmless  dangers 
ar3  threatened  and  the  meddlesome  interference  generally 
with  their  every  movement,  while  it  may  afford  the  op- 
portunity of  expressing  parental  concern  and  affection,  is 
bad  pedagogy.  The  observers  who  reported  the  cases  agreed 
unanimously  in  saying  that  there  should  have  been  less 
indulgence ;  that  a  more  uniformly  firm  and  natural  method 
of  control  should  have  been  employed;  that  the  children 
should  not  have  been  so  much  with  the  parents  and  other 
elderly  persons,  but  more  with  children  of  their  own  ages, 
to  the  end  that  they  might  have  learned  how  to  share  with, 
and  yield  somewhat  to,  others ;  that  the  undue  anxiety  and 
concentrated  affection  of  the  parents  should  have  been  dis- 
placed by  a  more  intelligent  appreciation  of  the  vital  needs 
of  the  child. 


Since  thiis  study  was  completed  a  rather  extended  pamphlet  on 
the  only  child,  "Das  einzige  Kind  und  seine  Erziehung,"  by  Dr.  Eugen 
Neter  of  Mannheim,  Germany,  has  been  published.  It  describes  and 
seeks  to  explain  the  peculiarities  of  the  only  child;  and  the  great 
German  specialist  in  children's  diseases,  Adolf  Baginsky,  says  in  the 
introduction  that  he  has  been  led  to  look  upon  the  situation  of  suck 
children  as  a  great  hindrance,  if  not  a  serious  danger,  to  their 
physical  and  mental  development. 


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